It has been a solid campaign for both Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs and they come into the contest with form, but The Buccaneers have enjoyed the upper hand over their old rivals in recent times.
Here are the key numbers behind the biggest sporting event in South Africa.
1 – Percy ‘Chippa’ Moloi scored the first-ever Soweto Derby goal as Pirates won 6-4 on January 24, 1970 in the third-place playoff for the Rogue Beer Cup.
3 – Pirates won the reverse league Derby fixture 3-0 in late February, their biggest win over Chiefs since 2020. Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa were on target.
3 – Jerry Sikhosana was the last player to score a hat-trick in the Derby, in Pirates’ 4-1 win in 1996. There have been only three hat-tricks in the fixture’s history, Mugoyo (Chiefs), Henry Khumalo (Pirates) and Sikhosana.
3 – Evidence Makgopa has scored in the last three Derby meetings between the sides. He had four Derby goals in all and has been a real thorn in the side of Chiefs in recent times. Alfred ‘Russia’ Jacobs (Pirates) and Fani Madida (Chiefs) both scored in four successive derbies. Jacobs did so in 1970-71 and Madida in 1991-92.
4 – Four goals is the biggest winning margin in a Derby, achieved twice by Chiefs (7-3 in 1972 and 5-1 in 1975) and once by Pirates (5-1 in 1990).
6 – Pirates have won six of the last seven Derby meetings, a run that includes a club record five victories in a row that was halted by the Nedbank Cup final victory for the AmaKhosi last May. But this is as dominant as Pirates have been over Chiefs in their history.
6 – Six coaches have sat on both benches in the Derby, most recently Vladimir Vermezovic. Others include Kosta Papic, Walter da Silva, Ted Dumitru, Augusto Palacios and Joe Frickleton.
8 – The record for the most Derby matches in a single season was set in 1975 when the sides met eight times in various competitions.
10 – The most goals scored in a Derby fixture remains 10, which happened twice, including the very first meeting. On that occasion Pirates won 6-4 in the Rogue Beer Cup in 1970. Two years later Chiefs claimed a 7-3 win in the Champions of Champions final, second leg. The first leg had ended 3-3.
11 – There have been 11 own goals in Derby history, seven by Pirates players and four by Chiefs. The last came from Pirates defender Olisa Ndah in February 2023.
11 – This is the first time in 11 meetings that the Derby will be played on a Sunday. The others were all on a Saturday. Derby games are never hosted in midweek these days (unless it is a public holiday) as a safety precaution following the Ellis Park disaster in 2001. The last midweek game was on Heritage Day on Tuesday, September 24, 2013.
12 – Before Pirates’ blowout 3-0 league win earlier this campaign, the previous 12 meetings had all been decided by a single-goal margin. Pirates’ 2-0 win in 2020 had been the last time either side won by more than one goal, which shows how tight games had been.
17 – There has not been a draw in the last 17 competitive meetings since 2019. In that time, Pirates have won nine and Chiefs eight. The last draw was 2-2 in the Telkom Knockout in November 2019.
19 – The fastest goal in Derby history was scored by Chiefs forward Mabhuti Khenyeza after 19 seconds in a 2-2 draw in Durban in 2007.
19 – The leading scorer in Derby history is Chiefs legend Pule “Ace” Ntsoelengoe with 19 goals. Pirates’ top scorer is Jomo Sono with nine.
24 – There have been 24 goals scored in the last 10 Derby matches, with Pirates netting 14 and Chiefs 10.
31 – Siphiwe Tshabalala holds the record for the most Derby appearances. His first came in November 2007 and his last in 2018.
79 – Soccer City (FNB Stadium) has hosted 79 Derbies, including the last eight. Orlando Stadium has staged 63, including the first meeting. The fixture has been played at 15 venues in total, including Durban, Gqeberha and Mdantsane.
184 – There have been 184 competitive meetings since January 1970. Chiefs have 75 wins, Pirates 50, with 54 draws and five abandoned matches.
203 – Pirates have scored 203 goals against Chiefs, bringing up the ‘200’ milestone when Evidence Makgopa netted in last season’s 2-1 Nedbank Cup final defeat. Chiefs have scored 233.
94,000 – The Derby is usually played at the 94,000-seat FNB Stadium and is typically sold out, although around 80,000 tickets are made available for safety reasons.